The Yarowkabra Community Policing Group recently established a youth arm to boost volunteerism in order to tackle social ills such as teenage pregnancy and delinquency in the community.

Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee on Sunday commended the engineers of the youth group, a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release said. The group intends to undertake activities that will boost community spirit while addressing the increase in criminal behaviour among youth, through education.

“You have made a very important and bold step forward to contribute to the efforts of community policing in this area and I would like to thank you very much on behalf of the Government of Guyana,” the minister told the group. He also pledged his ministry’s assistance in ensuring that the youth group is sustained in order to contribute to the development of community policing countrywide.

Rohee said the value of youth groups to community development cannot be over emphasized. Further, he said youth involvement in social activities like sport and culture play a vital role in the development of a country. Rohee said teacher/parental involvement is also very important. “The parents must give their full support to youths who are involved in groups of this type because it brings to the home and community a sense of participation and involvement. It’s a healthy participation. The parents and teachers know that when children go out to a CGP youth activity it’s something important, they are getting into something productive and they can impart what they learnt to their fellow students,” he said.

The minister said he also expects the police to support the initiative by mentoring and guiding the group’s members. “We need to ensure that the youths today have a rounded development, a rounded personality. Nowadays it’s a constant struggle to create that kind of personality because there are so many distractions…. we need ensure to that our youths are in the right type of organisation such as this one, and the church, because they help to create that type of personality,” he said.

According to GINA the ministry is also collaborating closely with the ministries of Youth, Sport and Culture and Labour, Human Service and Social Security to address social ills. The release said too the Yarowkabra group was recently allocated land for a playfield. The community worked together to rent a Bobcat to clear and level the land which will be officially opened on Friday when a Fun Day will be held.

CPGs at Whim, Region Six, Linden and in other parts of the country have also established youth arms.